AC/DC drummer avoids jail
TAURANGA: AC/DC drummer Phil Rudd yesterday avoided prison after threatening to kill an employee, but a New Zealand judge warned him jail beckoned if his “rock star lifestyle” continued.
Rudd, 61, was sentenced in Tauranga District Court to eight months home detention after pleading guilty to the death threat and drug possession in April.
The drummer had faced a maximum seven years behind bars for threatening to kill his ex-security chief, with prosecutors seeking an 18-month term and the defence pleading for a discharge without conviction.
Judge Thomas Ingram said Rudd’s limited criminal history meant home detention was appropriate, saying he would be closely monitored and imprisoned if drugs were found in his system.
“I stone cold guarantee that’s where you’ll end up,” Judge Ingram said, adding: “The temptations of the rock star lifestyle have caused your downfall here.”
Motoring enthusiast Rudd arrived at court in a chauffeur-driven Bentley with a group of family and friends to support him.
Dressed in a purple velour dinner jacket and jeans, he said little to waiting media as he entered the courthouse beyond thanking fans for their “fantastic” support.
After being sentenced, he swore at a reporter outside the court and told him to “get a f***ing job”.
Rudd’s own employment with AC/DC is in doubt, despite his stated intention to rejoin the legendary hard rockers. The band have replaced him with Briton Chris Slade on their current “Rock or Bust” world tour and his conviction will create difficulty travelling internationally.
Judge Ingram was unmoved by claims from Rudd’s lawyers that a conviction would costs him tens of millions of dollars.
“I accept unreservedly that it will affect your future with the band,” the judge said. “But you need to consider that I don’t think you have a future with the band until you have successfully rehabilitated.”
He also rejected the argument that Rudd’s drumming was an essential part of AC/DC’s sound, saying: “Queen replaced Freddie Mercury and it’s clear that the band [AC/DC] is now touring without you”.